So I made it to Ireland on Tuesday evening after a lovely couple of days in Exeter, England. Visiting John was, of course, wonderful as was the chance to finally meet two friends of mine who I've talked with online for years but have missed every time they went to visit Andi and Patrick in Denver. It was really nice to spend my first few days abroad with people who I knew. It made the adjustment regarding both jetlag and my health (stomach bug lingered for awhile) a much easier one. I also had the opportunity to wander around downtown, see the Cathedral, roam the campus, and go on one incredibly "epic" adventure through the moors. There were a lot of hedges, and one very *cough* impressive *cough* collection of rocks.
My Ireland experience so far has been a fair bit different from what I expected. The program, which consists of 160 people, primarily consists of American girls between the ages of 18 and 20. While I seem to fit in regarding the general demographic, my goals for my time here seem... quite a bit different than what most are hoping to achieve. (This translates to: I'm sitting at home getting ready to read all the assigned homework for tomorrow after spending a couple hours in the library finding books for my Music research project. My apartment is entirely empty as the other girls are going out to the pubs for the third night in a row.) Thus far, the people I've gotten along with best are Satoko, who traveled from Japan to do research for her final undergraduate project in Irish studies, and Selena, an Italian woman who is taking classes to help her finish her Master's dissertation on the importance of Irish landscapes in cinematography. I also get along well with two of my apartment mates, Kristen and Claire, and Katrina, the 28-year old wife of a Marine who went back to college after her son was old enough for her to do so.
This is not to say that I'm only focusing on the academic side of things though. When I first arrived I went to a pub called "The King's Head" and had a fantastic seafood chowder. Yesterday I wandered around Galway City to orient myself (it's approximately Annapolis-sized, I'd say) and found a musical instrument store. I really enjoyed looking at all the instruments, which comprised almost everything from bones to bodhran (drums) and rows upon rows of violins, guitars, flutes, whistles, and concertinas. The only thing I didn't see were pipes, but they may have been in the back. Also, a new tin whistle may be coming home with me to replace my old one. I've also enjoyed just sitting and listening to various street performers. One band was playing a cover of Metallica's cover of "Whiskey in the Jar." As many of you can guess, this made me a very happy Kaitlyn. Today I went and toured the Galway Cathedral and I purchased tickets for a guided hiking tour around the Connemara region on Saturday.
It's going to be an interesting time research-wise. Currently my student ID card isn't working, so I couldn't check out the books I found (though it was a pleasure having so many books available at all! Ohio Link has so little on Irish studies) -- I'll be going back tomorrow during office hours to try and get that sorted out. Getting some personal interviews in will also be tricky, as I learned from my music professor that the style of singing I was hoping to learn about is very, very rarely performed in Galway. I would most likely have to travel to Connemara villages to find folks who perform regularly, and even then, as an American citizen and non-Irish speaker, many would refuse to share, particularly given my short amount of time here -- now made shorter given that I could probably only visit a few times on days with fewer classes or no classes at all. Nevertheless, I will be attending a workshop on the singing style, and hopefully will learn enough from my professor to make up for this unexpected additional challenge.
As for Ireland itself? It's lovely. I wish I could share photos but I managed to leave the appropriate cord at home (cue boos and hisses now.) Just means you'll have more to look at upon my return. But seriously, every morning I walk over the River Coiribe to get to campus and pass this little tiny ruin off the side of the highway which I want to take a closer look at it one of these days. On the campus itself buildings aren't so interesting (save the Quadrangle which is basically a random mini-castle), but Galway city proper? Full of little old pubs and tiny cobblestone streets and handpainted shop windows. There are some bits of it that are so very like colonial Annapolis I almost feel at home and then a car goes whizzing past as it drives along the left side of the road while a couple standing beside me switch back and forth between speaking in Irish or English.
Things I'm looking forward to the most? The Sean-nos singing workshop, the Irish language classes, traveling to Dingle for a weekend, seeing Connemara and the Aran Islands, and the upcoming Galway Arts Festival that starts on the 13th of July and continues until just after I depart for the US. I'll continue to share as things progress! Hope you all are doing well.
